Focus Groups

Agricultural policies in Kenya aim to improve farmers' livelihoods. With projected climate change, these policies are short of mechanisms that promote farmers' adaptation. As a result, smallholders are confronted with a variety of challenges including climate change, which hinders their agricultural production. Local knowledge can be instrumental in assisting smallholders to cope with climate change and variability. In this paper, we present empirical evidence that demonstrates local knowledge, perceptions and adaptations to climate change and variability amongst smallholders of Laikipia district of Kenya. A Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) calculated for one station is compared with smallholders' perceptions. Data was collected using qualitative and quantitative methods in Umande and Muhonia sub-locations. Qualitative data included 46 transcripts from focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Quantitative data is derived from 206 interviewees. We analyzed qualitative and quantitative data using Atlas-ti and SPSS respectively. According to smallholders' perceptions, climatic variability is increasingly changing. Local perceptions include decreasing rainfalls, increasing temperatures, increasing frosts and increasing hunger. The PDSI shows a trend towards severe droughts in the last four decades, which is in accordance with farmers' perceptions. Smallholders use a combination of coping and OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2012, 4 3303 adaptation strategies to respond to variability, including, among others, diversification of crop varieties, migration and sale of livestock. Significant relationships exist between drought perceptions and some adaptations such as migration and sale of livestock. Farmers have an in-depth knowledge of climatic variability, which they use to inform their coping and adaptation strategies. Knowledge of climatic perceptions and adaptations are vital entry points for decision makers and policy makers to learn how and where to enhance the adaptive capacity of smallholders in rainy and drought periods.

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“…A discussion guide was used to moderate the FGD [63]. FGD highlighted the differences between participants [64].…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Perceptions and Responses to Climate Change and Variability: The Case of Laikipia District, Kenya

et al. 2012

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“…We interpreted that results generated from the SPSS attaching meaning to specifi c numerical outputs. Further, we transcribed the interviews and FGDs (Lloyd-Evans, 2006) with the help of fi eld notes and recordings. Then, we employed a sequential process of coding, categorizing, and thematising (Creswell, 2012) to analyze the qualitative data.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Educational Resilience of Urban Squatter Children in Kathmandu

Mani

Luitel

Gautam

et al. 2016

Journal of Education and Research

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Squatters are the illegal tenants residing in public lands as immigrants due to livelihood collapse in their origins. They have been denied of public resources and urban facilities because of their identity crisis leading to a vicious circle of poverty with impoverished livelihood creating multifaceted adversities of learning for their children. In this context, this paper, based on a cyclical mixed method research design under transformative research approach, has explored the learning adversities faced by the squatter children of Kathmandu Metropolitan city, their protective and promotive strategies to cope with adversities and life-skills as learning outcomes. Squatter children are struggling against the backdrop of exposure to unhygienic settlements with low health conditions, poverty with impoverished livelihood, and illiteracy of parents, poor homely environment, and dysfunctional families. Despite such adversities, they were able to continue school education with the support of their teachers, peers, parents and families. The research study fi nds stronger family and community assets of the students. These assets are helpful for building educational resilience of the squatter children.

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“…Focus groups are used to gather information on public perceptions and viewpoints (Lloyd-Evans, 2006). The main strength of this data collection method was described by Morgan (1997) by stating that two eight-person focus groups would generate as many ideas as 10 individual interviews, but the conduction of the data collection process (2 sessions instead of 10), transcription and analysis are clearly more efficient and less time consuming.…”

Section: Identigying Operational Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it is particularly difficult to keep the balance between concepts provided by the group and individual ideas within it (Barbour & Kitzinger, 1999). The analysis involves comparing discussion of similar themes and examining how these relate to the variation between groups (Barbour & Kitzinger, 1999;Lloyd-Evans, 2006) and between individuals (Barbour & Kitzinger, 1999). Moreover, sometimes respondents may change their positions later in the discussion which transforms the analysis of focus group in quasi "detective work" (Krueger, 1998).…”

Section: Analysing and Presenting Focus Group Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Operational Requirements to Select Suitable Decision Models for a Public Sector E-Procurement Decision Support System

2014

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Public sector procurement should be a transparent and fair process. Strict legal requirements are enforced on public sector procurement to make it a standardised process. To make fair decisions on selecting suppliers, a practical method which adheres to legal requirements is important. The research that is the base for this paper aimed at identifying a suitable Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method for the specific legal and functional needs of the Maldivian Public Sector. To identify such operational requirements, a set of focus group interviews were conducted in the Maldives with public officials responsible for procurement decision making. Based on the operational requirements identified through focus groups, criteria-based evaluation is done on published MCDA methods to identify the suitable methods for e-procurement decision making. This paper describes the identification of the operational requirements and the results of the evaluation to select suitable decision models for the Maldivian context.

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Focus Groups

Cited by 30 publications

References 0 publications

Local Perceptions and Responses to Climate Change and Variability: The Case of Laikipia District, Kenya

Local Perceptions and Responses to Climate Change and Variability: The Case of Laikipia District, Kenya

Educational Resilience of Urban Squatter Children in Kathmandu

Identifying Operational Requirements to Select Suitable Decision Models for a Public Sector E-Procurement Decision Support System

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